Some of the basic troubleshooting activities could be performed by you if the computer has some problem before you call you nearest computer store. You must have the basic knowledge about the computer before you could actually start off with the troubleshooting technique. You must be aware if it is a Mac or a personal computer. You must be aware of the manufacturer, whether the computer you have is a white box, dell, or IBM make. You must also be aware as what Pentium processor is it supporting, and what operating system is installed in it.

You need to know how much memory and how large a hard drive you have in the computer. All of this information should either be written somewhere, or should be in your manufacturer's manual. Armed with this information you are then ready to embark on your computer problem troubleshooting endeavors.

Things to keep in mind

You must aware of the activity you were doing on the computer during the occurrence of the problem. You may write and attach the problem occurrence message so that the technical department could know the exact problem. Were you working some document out or working on the network?

Ok now that we have that settled lets try a few things

1. Restart the computer (turning the computer off which starts again) - this is a solution to many computer problems. 2. You may run a scan for the virus after running the virus update. Virus update is done through the internet. 3. You must decide a particular area of the problem. Try to know if it's hardware, software or a network error. Checking for the network error is very simple as you just need to see if the computer is connected to some network. Internet errors are caused by network problems only. 4. If the computer is facing a trouble in taking a start, then all the cables and the wires connected to the computer should be checked and be seen if they are connected properly. The computer must be plugged properly in the outlet as the cleaning person could upset it while cleaning. 5. You must check and see if there are any active lights which are on in the computer. If the lights of the computer turn on, but it is not starting and there is no sound, then the power supply needs a replacement. It must be provided to the technician so that he could change it. 6. You must reboot the machine if it hangs or freezes. As the computer restarts, you may press the key F8 to check if the computer would enter the safe mode. Uninstall the program that was installed by you which was the cause of the error, else reboot again.

In case none of the above points help you solve the computer problem, at least you are now better aware of the points of the problem and could let the service center know about the problem. It is very important to stay refreshed and keeping attention on the activities of the computer. This way, you can help the repair person who helps you in the troubleshooting of the machine.